University of Wisconsin Law School first-year student Marin Ellington has been named the newest Stearns-Shaw Scholar. 

Ellington is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, where she double-majored in economics and English. Her passion for writing has been a creative outlet and an opportunity to “take control” during times of heightened anxiety and uncertainty.

As a high school student, Ellington served as the editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, publishing articles on mental health and other advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTQ+ students. In college, she built upon her advocacy skills as president of the Loyola Mock Trial program, leading her team to nationals for the first time in over a decade.

Of her decision to attend law school, Ellington said: "It felt like the next logical step.”

A Missouri native, Ellington was excited to remain in the Midwest for law school. As the state capital, Madison offers fantastic experiential learning opportunities while being in close proximity to other desirable legal markets, like Chicago. Early into her legal education, the UW Law community has been a highlight.

"Everyone has been so polite and friendly,” she said.

Ellington is a member of QLaw, a student organization dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. She recently joined a planning committee for the organization’s annual “Gayla,” which celebrates the legal contributions of LGBTQ+ attorneys each spring. While balancing her commitments in law school, Ellington hopes to bring attention to the queer experience through the publication of her poetry.

For Ellington, being named a Stearns-Shaw Scholar means acceptance. “Moving to Wisconsin, I wasn’t sure whether it would be an accepting environment,” she said. “Learning about this scholarship was so helpful and uplifting to know that LGBTQ+ issues are still being prioritized.”

The Stearns-Shaw Scholarship was endowed in 1992 by UW Law graduate Denis Stearns and his husband, Thomas Shaw, to encourage champions of the LGBTQ+ community to choose UW Law as the best place to study the law and make a difference.  

Stearns said they were pleased that the scholarship was a tipping point in helping attract a “public-minded, good-hearted advocate” like Ellington because she is “the very model of the kind of person who we hoped would benefit from the scholarship.” 

He added, “Now, more than ever, we need people like Marin to fight the good fight in support of the causes we have fought for our entire lives, and to help lead us through and hopefully out of these current ‘interesting times.’ "

Submitted by Law School News on November 7, 2025

This article appears in the categories: Features, Students